A recent Japanese poster for Resident Evil Village contains a mysterious masked figure, previously unseen in other advertising for the Capcom game. Speculation has proposed that it could be one of the series' Wesker children, though even the gender of the character is uncertain ahead of the game's May 7 launch date - May 8 in Japan.
The plot of the game revolves around Resident Evil 7 protagonist Ethan Winters visiting the game's namesake village, which presumably lies somewhere in Romania or Hungary based on the origins of antagonist Alcina Dimitrescu. Much of the story is still shrouded in secrecy, though vampires will likely play an important role and Dimitrescu is based partly on Countess Elizabeth Bathory, a 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman accused of killing hundreds of women and girls. In folklore, Bathory bathed in their blood to remain forever young. The real person may have just been motivated by sadism.
The Japanese poster, shared by Twitter user Masa, contains a figure in an ornate gold mask. Angles and lighting make it impossible to see any more of the person's face than a single shining eye and a flash of pale skin. The only characters that can be immediately ruled out are Ethan Winters, Rosemary Winters, and Chris Redfield, the other three people on the poster. Rosemary is the daughter of Ethan and Mia Winters, the latter of whom apparently dies before Resident Evil Village genuinely gets underway.
The Wesker hypothesis is unlikely, given that both Albert and Alex Wesker are supposed to be dead - Albert in 2009's Resident Evil 5, and Alex in 2014's Resident Evil: Revelations 2. Characters have seemingly died in the series before, however, including Albert, so it's not inconceivable that one could return in some form. An upcoming Netflix series will feature two new Wesker children, Jade and Billie, but that's a spinoff story, and likely won't have any impact on the plot of this game. The two original Weskers are the product of a eugenics program called Project W.
Some other possibilities include Dimitrescu or - perhaps the strongest candidate - a character even she's beholden to, Mother Miranda. In pre-release trailers, the latter is only mentioned in a phone call. She could be some form of cult leader and/or the game's behind-the-scenes villain, but if so there's little chance gamers will learn more about her until Resident Evil Village ships this summer. It is after all a horror game, and shocking twists are an essential part of the recipe.
Resident Evil Village launches May 7, 2021, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Source: Masa